Bark Canoes: The Art and Obsession of Tappan Adney

Edwin Tappan Adney (1868-1950), an American-born naturalist who lived most of his life in Canada, researched, designed and built an unparalleled set of less-than-full-size bark canoe models, 110 of which he and sold to the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, Virginia. Jennings (The Canoe: A Living Tradition) is the first author to present that collection, which has been photographed for this volume by John Pemberton. The images show an impressive variation on the genre: there are plain-looking dugout canoes and elaborately decorated Iroquois models. Jennings consulted Adney's papers extensively for this volume with the result that the book also doubles as a description of the boat maker's life and methods. Most of the chapters are organized by geographic zone (""East Coast"";""Northwest"") or by purpose (""Fur Trade""), though one chapter is devoted to close-range details. From a""Mailseet Birchbark Canoe with Shoes"" to a""Tetes de Boule One-Man Birchbark Hunter's Canoe,"" spare layout, carefully angled and focused pictures, and detailed provenances mark each entry.